Libya: US ambassador, three others killed in attack

Published September 12th, 2012 - 12:05 GMT

The U.S. ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, and three U.S. officials were killed Tuesday in an attack on the consulate in Benghazi, in eastern Libya, said on Wednesday a senior Interior Ministry official.

The U.S. ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, and three U.S. officials were killed Tuesday in an attack on the consulate in Benghazi, in eastern Libya, said on Wednesday a senior Interior Ministry official. They were killed in the attack by gunmen who were protesting against a film offensive to the Islam. "The ambassador was killed as well as three other officials," said Deputy Minister of the Interior Wanis al-Sharef. The death of Stevens has been confirmed by a tweet by Libya's-Deputy Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagour.

According to reports, armed protesters attacked the consulate in the evening as rockets were fired at the building.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the controversial movie cause is called "Innocence of Muslims" and was directed by Israeli-American, Sam Bacile.

in a statement confirming the death of an officer, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that "some have tried to justify this brutal behavior by presenting it as a response to inflammatory elements distributed on the Internet. " "The United States deplores any deliberate intention to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the origins of our nation," said Clinton. "But," she added, "things are clear: nothing can ever justify acts of this nature."

She also said she had spoken with the President of the Libyan National Assembly Mohamed al-Megaryef, on better ways to protect Americans working in Libya.